Hopkins partnership with health real estate firm aims to expand service to the elderly

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America is well aware of its opioid epidemic, but a new review warns there's a hidden crisis brewing with prescription sedatives such as Xanax and Valium.

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Reports of the great flu pandemic filled the news columns in the last week of September, 1918. The Sun reported deaths of soldiers called up for service in World War I at Fort McHenry, Camp Meade and Edgewood Arsenal. But how well would be be prepared for another pandemic with today's medical advancements? (Ulysses Muñoz / Baltimore Sun video)

Johns Hopkins Medicine said Wednesday it will work with health real estate firm Welltower Inc. to come up with programs and explore developing facilities to serve and treat the elderly.

Welltower develops assisted-living centers, memory care facilities and other medical institutions for the elderly. Company officials said programs and technology developed in those facilities said could be useful to Johns Hopkins, particularly as the trend in health care is to do more treatment outside hospitals.

Welltower properties and programs serve more than 200,000 elderly and accommodate more than16 million patient visits each year.

"This collaboration builds on our shared vision for modern, efficient health care infrastructure," Mark Shaver, vice president of business development and strategic alliances for Johns Hopkins Medicine, said in a statement. "The changing health care delivery landscape underscores the need for a streamlined healthcare continuum to raise the quality of care, shift care to appropriate, lower-cost settings. and connect caregivers and patients."

Thomas J. DeRosa, Welltower's chief executive officer, said in a statement: "Caring for the frail elderly and people with dementia and other diseases of aging present both clinical and economic challenges for health systems. Our collaboration with Johns Hopkins Medicine will advance innovation to keep this at-risk population healthy, socially engaged and out of the high-cost hospital."